RELEX will assist Smartbox in better managing product forecasting and replenishment in line with seasonality and events, major peaks such as Christmas and a huge array of retailer locations. In addition, RELEX’s strong analytical and reporting capabilities will aid with the introduction and phasing out of these seasonal product collections with closer integration between retailers’ POS and Smartbox’s multiple DC operations.

Smartbox Group has an omni-channel presence, with its own stores, web stores, and also currently has over 10,000 POS/shop locations across major retailers in Europe including the UK, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. Through both organic growth and a number of acquisitions, Smartbox has seen substantial growth in recent years, which has subsequently led to a more complex supply chain.

It was important to us to implement a system that would allow us to maintain central control over supply chain planning yet gain insights at an individual SKU and location level.

Per Brogaard, Chief Operations Officer at Smartbox Group comments: “This is the first kind of supply planning software we have implemented. As we continue our international expansion and organic growth across our product portfolio, we recognize the value that agile and innovative technology can bring to the successful management of our supply chain. Optimizing the efficiency of our forecasting and automated replenishment will help to increase availability at an international level. Given the way in which we fulfill POS orders and manage our stock, it was important to us to implement a system that would allow us to maintain central control over supply chain planning yet gain insights at an individual SKU and location level.”

The reason why we chose RELEX over several other providers we looked at, is that RELEX took the time to truly understand our business model and how we operate

“The reason why we chose RELEX over several other providers we looked at, is that RELEX took the time to truly understand our business model and how we operate; and had a genuine interest in working collaboratively to design a solution that would work with our unique requirements. Moreover, RELEX’s Software as a Service (SaaS) model is flexible and low risk, which is important to us, whilst its in-memory computing provides the speed and processing power we need to gain rapid insight across our product portfolio.”

“As with any company that grows to such a global scale, managing a supply chain naturally becomes more challenging,” says Mikko Kärkkäinen, Group CEO at RELEX Solutions. “By streamlining business processes and using advanced technology, businesses such as Smartbox can improve visibility across their entire supply chain, which ultimately will have a positive effect on operational efficiency, sales and customer loyalty.”

Project implementation started in August with the roll-out beginning in October.

About Smartbox

Smartbox Group is the inventor and the global leader of the experience gift concept with leading market shares in Europe, and currently present in UK, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. It also operates across web stores and offers B2B services, supporting organizations to achieve business goals with its wide range of corporate rewards.